1. Field of the Invention
The invention is generally related to the production of oil and more particularly to the injection of water into an oil-bearing formation and the boosting of pressure of produced fluids for transportation.
2. General Background
In the production of oil, it is conventional practice to use water injection to maintain the pressure within the oil-bearing formation to assist and improve oil recovery.
Conventional water injection systems are deck mounted and typically include fine filtration, de-aeration, chemical treatment and pumps. The injection water is transported to the injection well(s) by pipeline.
It is, in some applications, considered acceptable to use minimally treated seawater to provide this pressure maintenance and there are potentially significant cost and operational advantages in positioning the injection pump adjacent to the water injection well.
Electric submersible pumps have been used for many pressure boosting applications and have a proven track record. These pumps are designed to be installed in the well bore. The disadvantage of this is that it increases the expense and risks associated with performing intervention tasks on the well.
For this reason it is considered advantageous to install the pump in a separate location (such as a pile) using the existing proven pump configuration.
The invention addresses the above need. What is provided is a pump located in a foundation pile that has been driven into the sea floor to support a seabed structure. The top of the pile is provided with a fitting that includes an inlet, a hanger (or hangers) for the pump (or pumps), and an outlet. Minimally treated seawater is delivered into the pile through the inlet. The pump delivers the water under pressure through the secondary piping and or, to the water injection well.